Ear for Music
by laurenbooks125
Summary: Ella has been at the Opera Populaire her whole life. She has heard all the stories of Christine Daee and the Phantom. She is a little frightened, until they meet. They seen become friends, and meet multiple times a day. As they meet more and more, Erik starts to get strange feelings...will Ella get theses feelings too or will someone interfere?
1. Afraid

_**New story! Yay! So this is just a Phantom story, of course. I want this one to be longer than "First", but I don't know. I was expecting "First" to be 30 chapters or so, but it ended up being 22. So yeah, I hope you like the first chapter of my new story. Thanks. **_

_**~Lauren **_

**Chapter 1**

**Afraid**

Eleanore, mostly known as Ella, dances in the background where she belongs. She always knew she was destined to be a dancer. She would always frolic around her house, spinning in circles. And she always had an ear for music. But that was over twenty years ago. Those days were over. She had a job to do, and that job was dancing.

When the music stops, the leading soprano and tenor run over to the maestro, while the ballerinas run over to Madame Giry to get notes. Ella stands up straight, and he toes in a nice position. She was ready for any criticism. "Girls, that was alright. It is improving. Meg, fix your arabesque." She went on and on telling which girl things she needed to fix. Then she got to Ella. "Ella. I have no corrections for you surprisingly. Everything was…perfect." Her eyes bulge as Madame Giry leaves with that last remark. The other girls glare at her, but Meg just rushes over to her and hugs her.

"Oh! You must have done wonderful, Ellie!" She always insisted on calling her Ellie. "My mother has never called anything perfect! At least when she talks about dancing." Meg walks away with a smile, leaving Ella there to think.

All Ella does is let out a noise that sounded like a giggle, but it was really a noise that conveyed worry. _She is going to work me very hard. _She thinks. She doesn't want to think too much of it, so she just shrugs, forgetting anything ever happened.

Ella walks back to her dressing room, and sits down on her bed. She exhales slowly, but jumps suddenly when the mirror creeps open. She whips her head, forgetting that Erik always comes through the mirror.

"I am sorry, Eleanore. Did I frighten you?" he asks in a mellow and calm voice.

"No. I just forget you always come through the mirror." She states. He doesn't know what to say, so he shrugs. Ella gets up from her bed, and meets him at the mirror. "Shall we go?" she asks with a smile.

He smiles back slightly and holds out a gloved hand. She grabs it, and they walk back through the mirror.

Once they get to his lair, Ella sits down at the bench of his organ. She always sits there when they come down, and Erik doesn't mind. And Erik always says, "Would you like some tea, Eleanore?" which he does at this very moment. She nods and he scurries off through the kitchen. When he comes back into the room to wait for the tea to whistle, she asks him, "When can you learn to call me Ella?" He smiles.

"Eleanore is prettier. I never liked nicknames, so I don't like Ella. Besides, you look more like an Eleanore."

Ella just furrows her brow. "How can you say you don't like nicknames when you go by 'The Phantom' all of the time?"

"That is a very good point, my dear. To be honest, I don't know. Maybe that's the reason why. I always hated hiding my identity, so I never liked any other nickname."

Ella gets up from the bench and walks closer to him. "Well at least I know you're Erik." She says with a smile.

His eyes become watery and he shakes his head. "But why? Why did you want to know the real me? We have only been meeting for the past two days."

She shrugs, understanding his questioning. "I know. But you are very nice, Erik. People should really get to know you."

"How are you not afraid of me? What will I do when I lose my temper?"

Ella's shoulders drop and she looks at the floor. Then she mutters, very, quietly, but just loud enough for Erik to hear, "Just because I think you're nice doesn't mean I'm still not afraid."

A tear rolls down his face, but he soon wipes it away. _I really thought she was my friend. _He thinks in anger and sadness. Erik lets another tear roll down his face, and Ella sees it fall on the pavement. She lifts up her head, and looks at him in pity.

"If you are afraid, you don't have to be here." He says in a hard tone. Ella shakes her head with her mouth slightly open. "But, Erik I…" she stops herself and turns back around. She doesn't want to leave, so she walks back over to the organ bench. She looks at the sheet music and wants to play it. She knows how to play the organ very well, but doesn't know if this is the right time. But she decide to press down on the keys, their beautiful sound echoing through the air. Erik lifts up his head, and just stares at Ella. Ella sees this out of the corner, but doesn't stop.

She presses down, paying the main chord and begins to play the sing. She sings quietly, but Erik can still hear.

_The day starts._

_The day ends._

_Time crawls by_

_Night steals in, _

_Pacing the floor. _

_The moments creep ye-_

She is cut off by Erik running up and ripping the music off of the stand and whipping Ella around.

"Never play that song!" he calms down and looks back at her. "Please, Eleanore. That is too personal. If you don't mind, could you leave me? I need a little time to…think."

_Think about what? _Ella thinks, but doesn't question anything. She gets off the bench, curtsies, and runs back up the passageway.

Erik sighs and runs his hand through his hair. _What a girl. _He thinks. _What. A. Girl. _


	2. Hiding

_**Well this is the next chapter and I hope you are liking the story. Thank you waffleunicorn2812 for being my first follower on this story! It's awesome that after one chapter, I have a follower. Thank you. So please read, review, follow, favorite, and enjoy. **_

_**~Lauren**_

**Chapter 2**

**Hiding**

Ella dances around in her room, going over the new moves that were added to the routine. She grunts in frustration when she falls off her pointe for, what seemed like the millionth time. "Goddamn pointe." She mutters under her breath. After that fall, she decides to stop and just give up. She sighs and just sits at her mirror. _I hope Erik is okay. _She thinks.

Ella just stares at her face for a few minutes. She tilts her head different ways to get a better look at it. She always seemed fascinated by her face, but hated looking in the mirror. But she is soon interrupted by a knock at the door. She gets up, but doesn't her gaze away from her face until she gets out of frame.

She opens the door to see a tall man, who couldn't be more than a few years older than her. Ella has no idea who this man is, but he smiles at her like they have met many times before. "Hello, mademoiselle." He says with bright eyes. Ella has always been shy around strangers, especially men. "Uh…hello, monsieur."

"You are a dancer here?" he asks her, never breaking his smile.

"Y-yes." Ella manages.

"Would you happen to know where Madame Giry's office is?"

Ella furrows her brow ad she feels very uncomfortable. "Um…I do. B-but, who are you?"

He chuckles at himself. "Oh, excuse me! I am Charles. I am the new patron. You can call me Charley." He smiles at her, but she still feels worried. He takes her hand and kisses her knuckles softly. "And you would be?"

She blushes as his tender lips caress her hand. She takes a brief moment to imagine what they would feel like on her own lips, since she has never felt such before. But she soon suppresses the thought and gains back composure. "I-I am Ella."

"What a lovely name."

"Uh, um…you were looking for Madame Giry's office?"

"Yes, please."

"Just go down this hall and take two lefts. Second door on your right."

He nods at her with a slightly seductive smile. "Thank you, Ella. Till we meet again."

When he turns and exits, Ella can't help but to keep standing in the doorway. _He is a lovely man, but he didn't seem…real. Like he was hiding something. _But Ella just shrugs it off and goes back to practicing her dance. The gala was tomorrow and Madame Giry was expecting them to have every move down. So Ella worked herself hard. She sees herself dancing in front of the mirror, but she stops when she sees the mirror wiggle a little bit.

She gets scared for a moment, but soon realizes what it must be, so she just giggles.

"Erik? Is that you?"

The mirror slides open a little a reveals a porcelain-masked man. Ella puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head. "Like the show?" she asks with a giggle. Erik slides out of the mirror onto the carpet. "I did. Especially that short skirt of yours…"

Ella gasps and this remark. "Erik Destler! That is not a way to talk in front of a lady! I should slap you right now!" But Erik just laughs. "I'm sorry! You know I didn't mean it." He walks up to her a puts a soft kiss on her cheek. Ella's eyes bulge at his lips. _Why is he kissing me? We aren't dating. _But she just shrugs. _He is just being polite. _

"Why are you always hiding behind the mirror?"

He shrugs. "That's what Phantoms do. They hide."

"But you aren't a Phantom around me. You are Erik to me, and always will be."

"Thank you, Eleanore. But I must hide, even from you. No one must know that we meet each other."

"I hate hiding such a big secret."

"You can handle it. It's not that big of a deal. I have been hidden all my life. It's okay."

"Don't hide from me. Please. You could have just come out of the mirror. I would have danced for you! I dance in front of hundreds of people every night, I can handle you."

"Sorry, that's just what I did with…never mind." A smile appears on his face. "Soo…you'll dance for me now?"

Ella softly giggles and motions for him to sit down on her bed. He smiles as she gets into her first position. "There's no music…"

"I don't care, Eleanore. Please just dance."

She nods and starts dancing around the room.

All Ella does the entire time is think.

_I love how Erik calls me Eleanore. It makes me feel special. But I also feel uncomfortable for not being called Ella. But for Erik, I'll do anything. Gosh, he looks so good today. Is that a new cape? Oh, when would he have time to get a new cape? I am so stupid. Think, Ella, think! Oh, geez, focus on your routine. You don't wanna mess up. Ok, the last move. Don't fall on your pointe! _

Amazingly, she doesn't fall. She has never been able to get that move until now. Erik gets up and claps.

"Brava! Brava! Bravissima!"

Ella bows very dramatically, making them both laugh.

"That was wonderful, Eleanore."

"Thank you, Erik."

"Well, now I must go back into hiding to finish my work." He walks behind her and slips the mirror open.

"I will be back tomorrow." He slips down the mirror and Ella feels lonely and sad.

"…Have fun hiding…"


	3. Keeping Secrets

_**Hey! I know I haven't been on in a while! I am working on a huge French project and I have just started rehearsal for Shrek the Musical, so it has been pretty hectic. So anyway, thanks so much to PlainJane101 for my first review on this story! So please read, review, favorite, follow, and enjoy. **_

**Chapter 3**

**Keeping Secrets**

Madame Giry slams her hands together, keeping time to the music. When the music stops, she slams her cane down on the ground and she grabs the ballerinas' attention. "You need to be practicing! It is not improving! And Ella, you are usually so focused, so on point. Where is your head lately?" Ella feels her cheeks get very hot. "I-I am sorry, Madame. I have been…thinking of other things." But she just furrows her brow. She dismisses the other girls, but she calls Ella over to talk.

"What have you been doing, Ella?"

"What do you mean?"

"This behavior is very familiar to me. Are you…seeing anybody?"

"Do you mean dating?"

"No, just going around with anybody."

"U-um…."

"Are you seeing…_him?_"

"W-what? You mean the Phantom! Oh, Lord, no!" Ella tries to lie, but her voice is clearly very overdramatic, and her eyes and wandering around the room.

Madame Giry sighs and rolls her eyes. "You may go, Ella."

She bows her head and scurries off of the stage. _That was close! Gosh, I am such a terrible liar. She probably knows I am going around with- _

"Erik!" she yells when she sees him standing in the middle of her room.

"I'm sorry! I know you weren't expecting me, Eleanore, but I thought I would stop by."

She smiles calmly. "It's fine. So what were you here for?"

He starts fiddling with his hands and he looks down at the floor. "Well, I was wondering if"- he gets cut off by a knock at the door. Both of their heads shoot towards the door and Erik immediately runs behind the mirror, but stays there. Ella scurries over to the door and opens it. She is surprised to see the patron, Charley, standing there.

"Oh, hello, Charley!" she says with a smile at the end.

"Hello, Ella. How are you today?" He says it quietly with a touch of seductiveness at the end.

"I am doing great! How about you?" she says all light and bubbly, even though she wants him to leave and talk to Erik.

"Well, I am hoping it will be a wonderful day." He says, acting very secretive. Ella furrows her brow and smirks. _What is he up to? _

"I am was wondering if you would go out to dinner tonight?"

Ella is shocked, so she bulges her eyes. "Oh, Charley! I wasn't expecting this. Yes, I will go to dinner."

His eyes light up and his smile just gets bigger. "Wonderful! I will pick you up at seven o'clock."

She nods ever so slightly. And then shuts the door, before he even walks away. The second the door closes, Erik slips back out from the mirror, and say with a clenched jaw, "I can sense something not right about him." Ella nods. "I know. I can feel it too. But that's the reason I went am going to this dinner. I can probably find out a lot about him." He nods. "Good." Ella looks at the floor for a few seconds, and then her head shoots up. "Weren't you going to say something before Charley came?" He opens his mouth to talk, but he just closes it and shakes his head. "Nothing. It was nothing."

Ella nods. "Sorry, Erik, but I should get ready." She looks down at her watch. "I only have two hours before Charley comes for dinner." Erik nods. Then he soon walks up close to her. "I feel great danger in him. Please be careful tonight, Eleanore. Please." She smiles. "I will. Thank you." He nods and walks away, exiting through the mirror.

At seven o'clock, Charley is exactly on time when he knocks at the door. He smiles at her when she opens the door, and he smiles back. "You look beautiful." She peers down at her dress and smiles. "Thank you. You look very handsome." He nods, extended his hand. She grabs it and shuts the door.

Charley takes Ella to a nice little café right next to the opera house. "This is so nice." Ella comments as they sit down. As they look over their menus, Charley looks up at her and says, "So, tell me about you."

"What would you want to know?"

"Your interests, hobbies, your childhood. Anything, really."

She shrugs and giggles. "Well I obviously dance and sing. But I also love art. I love painting nature. Something about nature just makes me feel beautiful and free. And my childhood wasn't really that interesting. I have been dancing since I could walk, then I learned to sing because my father could play the piano. And it just went from there." She shrugs once more.

"What about your mother?"

"I don't know a thing about her. I don't know if she is, or was, alive or dead. She was just never around when I was a child. My father never talked about her either."

"Oh I am sorry."

"No! It's fine. So what about your childhood or earlier in your life?" His eyes bulge for a few moments, but then he quickly puts his face in the menu. "Uh…shall we order?" Ella nods slowly.

_There is something wrong with this man. There must have been something about his childhood, or maybe a couple years ago, that he doesn't want me to know. I will find out. I must. _


	4. Too Much Information

_**New chapter. Yay, yay and yay. OMG I just had the most annoying and boring rehearsal. I had to work on a song for over an hour that I wasn't even in. They call in the whole cast when they don't even work on the songs that the whole cast is in. God. Well enough of my complaining, please read, review, favorite, follow, and enjoy. **_

_**~Lauren**_

**Chapter 4 **

**Too Much Information**

When Ella gets back from her dinner date with Charley, she walks into her dressing room and sees Erik pacing the floor. He notices that she walks in and immediately rushes over to her. They are literally standing toe to toe.

"What happened? Are you okay? Did you find anything out?"

"Whoa! One question at a time, please, Erik. A nothing much happened. We just had dinner and talked about life at the opera house and a little about our families."

"Anything else?"

"No. Nothing much. When I tried to ask him about his earlier life, he completely changed the subject. I think he is seriously hiding something."

Erik growls and starts pacing again. "I am going to find that man and rip his secrets out of him, if it's the last thing I do."

Ella rushes over to him and places a calming hand on his shoulder. "Wait, Erik. Calm down. We don't want to push him that much. But thank you for helping me." He nods, knowing she is right. "We just need to approach him gradually." They both nod at each other and exchange smiles. They then walk over to the bed and sit down next to each other. Erik grabs Ella's hand and she blushes, surprised by his touch.

"I just want you to be safe, Eleanore. I know he is a dangerous man. I can feel it."

She smiles. "Thank you, Erik. And I can feel the danger too. I just wish I could figure out his past somehow."

Erik stands and peers down at her. "Don't worry about it. I will figure it out somehow." Ella wants to intrude him, but she doesn't want to bother him, knowing his temper can get out of control. She just nods instead.

Ella watches him exit through the mirror and she feels a burst of worry and hurt in her heart. "This is not going to end well." She whispers to herself. Then her eyes suddenly bulge and she looks down at her watch. "Oh no! I have a performance in less than forty minutes! Goddamn late-night performances!" She then scurries over to her mirror, grabs her makeup and throws it out of the drawer. She grasps all of her brushes and covers them in the different powders of color. She brushes on the blush and eye shadow. _Ugh it looks so rushed. Like I care. _She looks down at her watch once more and sees she only has a half hour left. It takes her at least fifteen to get her big ball gown and wig on so she needs to rush.

Ella takes her lip gloss and actually takes her time on this because if that looked bad, that would be terrible. When she is done she feels like that took a very long time. She takes a quick peek at her watch and sees that she wasted five minutes on her lip gloss. "Ahh!" she growls and throws down the tube of gloss.

When she is finally done applying all of the details to her face, she has fifteen minutes left. _Just enough time. _She runs down to the costume department and throws on her dress. It gets ruffled and bunched up beneath her and she struggles it pull it back down. She groans and thinks, _these are the moments where I hate being a girl. _And she giggles at her thought and finally gets her dress fixed. She sighs with a smile and grabs her wig off of a nearby desk. She throws her hair up in a bun and just shoves her wig on top. "God, I hope this wig stays on." She mutters.

Once she thinks she has it secure, she runs over to a mirror really quick and looks at herself. "Good!" she says before running out the door and to the backstage area. The manager sighs when he sees her there and pushes it her out of stage right before the performance is about to start. She exhales and then the curtain rises, revealing her to the audience. She starts to sing the first note and the show goes on. The show must always go on.

XxXxXx

Ella sits down at her mirror removing her makeup from her face. She is now sitting in a comfortable, silk nightgown. Since it is so late at night, she is assuming no one will come to visit and give her flowers or anything, but little did she know Charley was going to do this just that. But of course Charley didn't know what was coming his way.

Charley walks down the hall just feet away from Ella's dressing room. He holds a red rose in his grasp, waiting to give it to her. But he is suddenly slammed against the wall by a dark figure. He knows who it is immediately. He is not scared. Erik is breathing heavy in Charley's face, but he manages to say something.

"You need to stay away from Eleanore!"

"Oh, like she wants to be around you. From what I heard, she said she was afraid of you."

Erik furrows his brow, remembering that night when Ella said she was afraid of him. "H-How do you-"

"And then right after that she goes and play your own personal music on your organ! How could you want that around?"

"Where did you find all of this out? Tell me now or I swear I'll-"

"What? Just grab your little Punjab lasso and kill me? Like Joseph Buquet or Piangi? That would cause too much of an episode, now wouldn't it." He says it with it such an evil smirk that his has Erik's blood boiling. His eyes are much bulged at this point. He has no idea how this man who just came here, knows so much about his past life. "H-How…" is all he can say. Charley giggles at his confusion. He then moves Erik's arm off of his chest. He lets him because of how flabbergasted and frightened he is.

"Now," he begins with an evil smirk. "Why don't you scoot aside and let me see Ella. And then I won't bother you. I also want you to stay away from Ella." Erik's heart sinks at his words. "She doesn't need a bad influence like you around her." He creeps closer, making him feel uncomfortable.

"And if you follow these instructions, I will not hurt your precious Eleanore."


	5. Inside My World

_**Well all I can say is that this is a new chapter (duh). I really hope you are liking this story. Please read, review, follow, and favorite. Thanks. **_

_**~Lauren **_

**Chapter 5**

**Inside My World**

Charley walks into Ella's room, leaving Erik in the hallway. "Hello, Ella! What a triumph you gave tonight!" he says with a smile, revealing the rose to her. She smiles back with light in her eyes that are secretly hiding fire. "Thank you, Charley! How are you?"

"I'm great. How about you?"

"I am so tired. I hate having these late-night shows. I am sorry to cut this conversation so short, but I must get some rest. I have to get up in the next couple of hours."

"It's fine. I understand. Come on, I'll tuck you in."

Ella smiles at this comment, but she feels very uncomfortable.

They walk over to the bed together, Charley's hand placed on the middle of her back. She lays down on the bed, resting her head on the pillow. Her arms and legs sitting straight and stiff. He then grabs the sheets from the bottom of the bed and pulls them up to just over her breasts. He smiles at her. She half smiles, but hides all the screaming and shouting she wants to do to make him reveal all his secrets. But she knows she can't do that.

They stare at each other for a few moments, Ella just wanting to kick him out, literally. But all of a sudden, he leans down, his lips puckering progressively. _He's going to KISS me! NO! _As his lips almost reach hers, she cries out at him.

"Charley!"

He bursts open his eyes and moves his head back. He stares at her.

"I am just not ready for that. I am sorry."

He shakes his head to reassure her, but she can see the hate in his eyes. He nods and says, "I understand." Before swiftly exiting the room. Ella keeps staring at the door, even when she is lying down. She can't stop thinking about what Charley had almost done. Imagine what would've happened if they did kiss. It could've almost went farther. They are on a bed after all. _No. _She suppresses that thought of doing something with such a man.

She sighs and closes her eyes, just trying to think of something happy.

XxXxXx

"Stay away from her?" Erik talks to himself once he gets down to his lair. He runs his hands through his hair. "I can't stay away from her. She is such a great fool." His voice suddenly darkens. "And I know that bastard is nothing but trouble. I must get him away from her." He sighs in frustration. "But how? I need to stay away from her. He said he was going to hurt her otherwise and I can't let that happen." He feels tears at the corners of his eyes and quickly blinks them away. "Oh God, if I stay away from her, she will think I am ignoring her and she won't talk to me anymore."

He walks over to his organ and sits at his bench. "Why did she have to enter this world?"

_I, I came here,  
With one suitcase,  
And no idea.  
I, had no road map,  
No father,  
To give me that.  
But that's okay I found me,  
A light, sweet air to breathe._

But inside my world the storm still brings the rain,  
And I still cause you pain, my love.  
Inside my world this heart is still in flames,  
And I'm trying hard to change, so much.  
Inside my world, will that be enough?

I, I think that we,  
Should take some time,  
But on our own.  
'Cus I, have no blueprints,  
No answers,  
This chance is blown.  
That's okay I'll find you,  
Somewhere we can breathe.

But inside my world the storms still bring the rain,  
And I still cause you pain, my love.  
Inside my world this heart is still in flames,  
And I'm trying hard to change, so much.  
But inside my world, will that be enough?

I can't stop the feeling I can see a stranger kneeling  
When I look into the mirror now.  
He's trying to find the meaning and how to confess.  
Now he's praying for forgiveness.

Inside my world the storms still bring the rain,  
And I still cause you pain, my love.  
Inside my world this heart is still in flames,  
And I'm trying hard to change, so much.  
Inside my world, will that be enough?

I, I came here,  
With one suitcase,  
And no idea.

He sighs and takes his fingers off of the keys, letting the last note linger in the air.

"I must stay away from Eleanore. It is for good. I would hate to see her get hurt. But I will kill that god dammed bastard if it's the last thing I do.


	6. Sobs and Screams

_**La, la, la! New chapter! Hey, thanks to ThePhantomismyLove for following this story and leaving a review, and thanks to mcgregor2030 for making this story one of your favorites! I love all of the positivity coming from this story. So I hope you al enjoy this chapter. Please read, review, follow, favorite, and enjoy. Thanks. **_

_**~Lauren **_

**Chapter 6**

**Sobs and Screams**

Ella dances on pointe for many hours, but she is not very good today. She just can't focus. Erik hasn't visited her, talked to her, or sent her any letters for almost three weeks. She is seriously upset and just wonders why. When the dance is finished, she stop stiff and stares at the floor with a blank expression. Meg sees she is upset so she creeps over to her. "Are you okay, Ellie?" Ella shoots her head up, fire burning in her eyes. "Can't you just call me Ella?! Is it that hard? Ellie is not my name! Okay?!" Meg stares at her, tearing burning at the corners of her eyes. But she just picks her head and perks out her chest. She sighs and sniffs.

"I see that you are upset, and I was just trying to help. But I can also tell that you don't want any help. I am sorry I bothered you, mademoiselle." She walks away confidently and Ella instantly regrets what she just did. She wants to run after her, but she doesn't want to talk about Erik with her.

She also starts to feel tears in her eyes, but holds them back. _Oh God, what did I do? She can't even call me any variation of my name. She called me 'mademoiselle'. Well, there goes my only friend. _She sighs, and notices all the other ballerinas are walking off stage. _Oh, rehearsal must be over. _She follows all the other girls out. But then Madame Giry comes up to her and says, "Ella, I need to talk to you in my office, please." She nods, but she feels very worried.

They walk down a series of hallways before they get to her office. Madame Giry opens the door and motions for Ella to go in. She does and Madame Giry follows. Ella sees that she locks a bunch of locks on her door and instantly gets worried. She motions for her to sit down on a seat and she does. Madame Giry sits across from her.

"I have noticed that your performed has dropped a lot in the past month, Ella. I am concerned. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine."

Madame Giry shakes her head. "What did he do?"

"What do wh-"

"Ella, you know who I mean."

She sighs and looks up at her. "He has been ignoring me for the past three weeks. I don't even know what I did. I want to talk to him, but I am scared."

"Heh. You should be scared. It's Erik we are talking about." Ella tries to laugh, but she just can't. But she doesn't think Madame Giry is wrong. He does scare her. "But Ella," she continues, "I want you stay away from him. He is too dangerous. Have you heard the story of Christine Daee?"

"Of course I have! Who hasn't around here?!

"Good. So you know how dangerous he is?"

"I thought you were friends with him?"

"I wouldn't use the word 'friends.' I just know him and helped him. That's all."

Ella sighs. "But, Madame Giry, he isn't dangerous. He can be very caring and wonderful. And his voice just filled my spirit. I can't get it out of my head."

"That's exactly what Christine said, and now look where she is. Ella, if you see him, just be careful. I don't want anyone else to get hurt…or killed." She mumbles the last part, but Ella still hears.

She nods. "Well, I must go. I should…go practice."

Madame Giry nods back. Ella gets up and unlocks all the locks on the doors and slips out swiftly.

"Phew. Geez that was-"she bumps into a man. She realizes its Charley. She instantly feels rage and annoyance, but puts on a fake smile. "Oh, hello, Ella!"

"Hi…" she manages to mumble. But she keeps looking into his eyes and feels even more anger and fright. _He has something to do with Erik. _She thinks. _But I can't ask him about it. I just wish I could ask Erik. _Charley snaps her out of it when he says, "Ella?! Are you okay?" she snaps out of it and puts that plastic smile back. "Fine! I'm fine. Listen, I have to go. I will talk to you later." Then she scampers off to her dressing room.

She flops down onto her bed when she gets into her room. She doesn't know if she wants to scream or cry. So she decides to do both. She lets the fast tears roll down her face and onto her dress. Then she picks up her pillow and puts her face in it and lets out a loud and long scream. She takes her face out of the pillow and lets out her loud sobs. "I am so stressed and depressed out Erik. Then I have Madame Giry all over me about it. Of course, then there is Charley hiding all of these secrets and I know he knows something about Erik not talking to me." She sighs after talking to herself. She peers over at the mirror and the runs over to it. She pries it open and runs down the many staircases.

When she gets down to the lair, she sees Erik's back at his organ. She doesn't want to walk up to him, so she just talks from where she is.

"What did I ever do to you?!" Erik flinches at her scream, but doesn't turn around. "I didn't do anything! All of a sudden you just stop talking to me! Not even a letter!" She lets out another sob before continuing. "Now, you're probably just ignoring me, but I have a feeling that Charley has something to do with this. If I am wrong, then I am sorry. I just need an answer, Erik." She shrugs, waiting for him to turn around. She almost leaves but then Erik turns around.

Ella gasps at what she sees.


	7. Character

_**Well, I left y'all with a bit of a cliffhanger yesterday! I hope it made you come back to Ella and Erik, and read their story. Oh, and if anyone knew that song that Erik sang, I love you. You are a true Ramin Karimloo fan. Also, if anyone actually reads these, I love you too. Well, I love you all. Okay anyway, please read, review, follow, favorite, and enjoy! Thanks. **_

_**~Lauren **_

**Chapter 7**

**Character**

"Oh my God! Erik! What happened to you?!"

She rushes over to Erik and looks at his face. He has a very dark black eyes, making his eye puffy and swollen. He has multiple cuts on his cheek, the blood trickle down onto his trousers. His mask is off, and see that side of his face is chopped up to. But Ella remembers about his deformity and doesn't know if it naturally looks that way, so she just focuses on the other side of his face.

"Charley happened."

"What do you mean?!"

"Well, on your late-night performance, about three weeks ago, I saw Charley walking to your dressing room, so I decided to talk to him. I threw him against the wall and told him that he should stay away from you. Then he told me all that he knew about my past with Christine, and how he wasn't threatened, knowing my actions before." He groans in pain but soon catches his breath and continues. "After that, he said that he wants me to stay away from you."

"You could've just came to me! Don't listen to him!"

"No, Eleanore. He said that if I didn't, he would hurt you."

"W-what?"

"I couldn't let that happen to you. I care about you way too much, Eleanore."

"Thank you for protecting me, but I still don't get how this happened."

He sighs. "Well, I was finally going to send you a letter this afternoon, but Charley was also going into your room to give you a letter. When he saw me, he ran up and slammed me against the wall. He kept beating me up from there. I tried to fight back. But he was much stronger."

"Oh, Erik. I am sorry. Let's get you cleaned up. Where do you keep your first-aid supplies?"

"In that drawer over there." He points to a small desk with a couple drawers. He points to the bottom one on the left. Ella nods and rushes over and grabs the supplies. She kneels in front of the organ bench, coming up to the middle of his chest. She takes out a small rag and wets it with a disinfectant.

"This will sting a little." She says before dabbing it on his cheeks. He groans in pain through clenched teeth. Ella clenches her teeth too, feeling bad for Erik. She eventually clears up all of the blood and she realizes how long the cuts are. She then takes a cream and rubs it on the cuts. Erik now lets out a slight shriek, but he hold it in. When Ella finishes, she says, "That will help fight infection. Now, I don't know what we are going to do about that black eye."

Erik shrugs, sniffing away tears. "There's nothing you can do. We will just have to wait until it heals." He laughs a sad laugh. "Great. Just adds more distortion to my face."

"Don't think like that!" Ella exclaims.

"I am sorry the first time you are seeing my face is like this."

"No. It is fine. It isn't as bad as I was thinking."

"Really?" Erik asks, not believing her.

"Yes, Erik."

"I just wanted that moment to be different. I wanted to do it at a calm time…when you weren't afraid of me."

Ella sighs and looks at the floor. "I am sorry. I know I shouldn't be scared, but I am. Even though, I know you are a nice, caring, and amazing person, I am still scared somehow."

"Great."

"No, but it is a good kind of scared."

"How is there a good kind of scared?"

"It's that thrilling sort of scared. Like, you're on the edge of your seat and then something jumps out at you. Like, suspense and thrill. You are a thrill, Erik."

He chuckles softly. "That's one way to put it."

Ella frowns at her failure of making him feel better. "Erik, listen, you are my best friend. I care about you. I don't want you to hide from me or be anyone but yourself." He looks at her with pitiful eyes. "But first, we need to figure out what to do about Charley."

"Eleanore, I don't know what to do…To be honest…he scares me." Ella raises her eyebrows. _The Phantom of the Opera? Afraid of something? _But then she thinks, _no. This is Erik. And Erik can be scared just like any other human being. He is a human being._ And that's exactly what she says to him.

"You are a human being. Everyone is scared of something. But, trust me, I will get Charley away from us. I will talk to him."

"Did you see what the letter said?"

"What letter?"

"The one that Charley left when he beat me up."

"Oh, no. I didn't even see a letter. I just went in my room and ran down here. Thank God I did. You could've bled to death."

"I just want you to be careful around him. He said he would hurt you. If he knows you have been seeing me, who knows what could happen." Ella nods, understanding.

"Are you going to be alright? Or do you want me to stay down here with you?"

"I will be fine. I just need some sleep. You can go talk to him. But please be careful."

She gets up off of the floor and kisses him on the forehead before hurrying up the passageway and back into her room. She sighs and stand in the middle of her room. _Oh! The letter!_ She runs over to her desk and looks around for a letter, and luckily finds it. She rips it open and reads it.

_Ella, _

_I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner tonight. I have made reservations at a fancy café downtown. I hope you are able to come. You should come tell me so I know. Thank you. _

_All affection, _

_Charley_

"Heh. _'All affection' _my ass! There is no way I am going with that bastard to dinner." She smirks. "But I will go talk to him." She throws the letter down and rushes out of her room. She runs around the opera looking for him, but finds him on the stage talking with the managers. Charley sees her and says, "Oh, hello, Ella! Messieurs, will you excuse us?" The men nod and exit the stage. He faces her once more once the men leave. "How are you today?"

The rage boils up inside her, but she won't explode yet. "How could you?"

"What, my dear?"

"What you did to Erik! He didn't deserve any of that?"

"He came and saw you?"

"No! I went down to him! Did you ever think of that, huh? That I might actually go down myself and talk to him?"

"Well…um…"

"NO! You didn't! What do you want from me that made you go to such extreme measures?"

The rage starts to come out in Charley. "You belong with me, Ella! You need someone to protect you! Someone with money and a home! Not that musical bastard!

"I don't care about wealth, Charley! I care about character, and yours is horrible and wicked! I just want you to stay away from me!"

She turns to exit, but Charley grabs her arm tight. His eyes turn to death and Ella feels a jolt of fright. His voice grows dark and it reminds Ella of the devil.

"No one talks to me like that."


	8. Out of the City

_**More cliffhangers! I hope you are liking this story. I try to put cliffhangers so you guys come back, and I hope it is working. Who else hates Charley's guts? *raises hand* Yeah. Well you're going to hate him even more after this chapter. So I hope you like it! Please read, review, follow, favorite, and enjoy. Thanks. **_

_**~Lauren**_

**Chapter 8**

**Out of the City**

Charley starts dragging Ella off of the stage. She tries to plant her feet on the floor, but they just keep sliding. She grunts a lot, still trying. "Let me go, you bastard!" He looks back at her and grunts with clenched teeth. She feels tears spring into her eyes. _Who knows what will happen to me! _She thinks, hopelessly. _There is only one way to find out. _She gives into his force and lets him drag her. He smiles wickedly to himself as he takes her out to a carriage. He opens the door and shoves her into it. They sit across from each other in silence as the carriage rolls down.

Ella finally lets the tears rolls down her face, but she soon sees that Charley doesn't like that.

"Stop crying." He says in a hard tone.

She nods slightly and sucks in her lips to stop the sobs from coming out. He keeps glaring at her throughout the whole carriage ride, and she feels very uncomfortable. She looks at him and realize he is looking at her very sexually. She feels even more frightened and uncomfortable.

Then she feels the carriage and her stomach starts to churn. Charley steps out from the carriage and pulls Ella out. She sees a small house standing before them. Ella is slightly relieved. She thought he was going to take her to some ditch and beat her to death.

He grabs her arm once more and starts pulling her, again. They get to the door and Charley pushes it open with a creak. She looks around and sees that it is like any other normal house. She is shocked.

"Sit down." He says harshly with a glare.

She obeys and rushes over to a chair. She observes Charley as he closes the door, locks it, and shuts all of the blinds. Leaving them in the dark. He walks over to Ella and kneels in front of her. He smiles a wicked smile. She glares at him.

"Come on, Ella. Don't be like that." He brings his hand up to her cheek, but she turns away with a disgusted look on her face.

"Don't touch me…" she mutters.

"Ella, you need to learn to be around a decent human being. Not someone like that Phantom."

Ella looks at him with an even more disgusted face. "He's not the decent human being?! You're not the decent human being! You dragged me here and are probably going to keep me here forever! You told Erik to stay away from me or you would hurt me! A decent human being would not kidnap me, tell my best friend to stay away from me, beat him up, _and _threaten to hurt me. Yeah, you're a pretty decent person."

"Ella, listen to me. I am just trying to protect you. You should love someone like me."

"I don't LOVE you! I don't love Erik! I don't LOVE anyone! Okay? I don't love him or you."

He gets up and glares down at her like she were only a crumb. "Don't make me force you."

"Force me to do what? Love you? That will never happen!"

He sighs. "We will talk about this later." He turns and starts to walk away.

"I will never talk about such a matter with you."

Charley stops in his track, turns around and opens his mouth to say something. But he closes his eyes, relaxing himself, then walking around a corner, leaving Ella on the chair.

XxXxXx

Erik knocks very hard on Madame Giry's door for many seconds. She eventually opens the door with an annoyed look on her face and a hand on her hip.

"Have you seen Ella?!" he asks with great urgency.

"No. I have not. What is the problem, Erik?"

"I saw her just a few hours ago when she came up here, and I haven't seen her since. It has been almost six hours."

"No. I am sorry, Erik."

He sighs, but then Meg pops out and come to the door. She has bright eyes and seems like she knows something.

"I saw her leave about six hours ago."

"With who?! With who?!"

"A man…Charley, his name was?"

Erik bulges his eyes and the fire grows. He starts breathing very heavy.

"Did you happen to see where they were going?"

She shrugs. "I saw them get into a carriage. They were heading east into the city."

He nods. "Thank you, Meg. Thank you!" he manages to say before running off.

He runs down the hall and out of the Opera Populaire. He then runs to the stables and grabs his horse, Cesar. He jumps on his back and brushes his hair with his hand. "East into town." He mutters before hitting the reigns and making Cesar ride into the city.

He doesn't know if Charley took her into the city or out of the city into a father region in France. He thinks she is out of the city. He has a gut feeling. So he keep making Cesar ride through the city until he is eventually out of it.

Erik rides on a nice country rode with little country houses. The houses eventually stop as the go down they rode, but he thinks he should keep going. And he was right. He gets to the end of the road, a ways away from the nearest house. The house is small and looks slightly old, but not too old. Maybe thirty to fifty years? Oh, it doesn't matter.

He gets off of Cesar and walks slowly up to the house. He sighs, relaxing. _God, I hope she is here. _He thinks with hope. He takes a step closer to the door, brings his hand up,

And knocks.


	9. Gunshots

_**Yes, I am giving you another chapter. You are welcome! That sounds so conceited, but yeah I giving you a new chapter for a couple of reason. 1) ThePhantomismyLove left a review saying she wanted me to write more, so the motivated me. Then 2) I had a bunch of ideas for the next chapter and I couldn't hold it in. So please read, review, follow, favorite, and enjoy! Thanks.**_

_**~Lauren**_

**Chapter 9**

**Gunshots**

Erik stands for a few seconds, his heart pounding. He is desperately hoping that this is where Ella was taken. He will do anything he has to do to left Charley free her. The door eventually does creep open and Erik sees a flash of Charley's face before the door slams and he hears a lock. He starts to build up with rage. _Eleanore is in there! _He starts banging on the door over and over. He screams so many insults, ordering Charley to open the door.

"OPEN THIS DOOR YOU BASTARD! LET ELEANORE GO!" The door is starting to cave in from all of his banging and Erik sees this. He fills with hope, wanting to break the door down. But he feels much pain in his knuckles and sees that his knuckles are bleeding. But he just shrugs it off, continuing to bang.

He breaths heavy, desperate to get to Ella. He eventually realizes that the door is not going to come down just with his fists. So he slips his cape and jacket off, leaving him just in a white shirt. He rolls up his sleeves and wipes his brow before kicking the door. It moves a bit. _Just one more kick. _He lifts his leg up one more time and kicks the door.

It leaves a gaping hole, plenty big enough for Erik to fit through. He puts his arms and head in and eventually his feet and legs. He stands in the front of the room and sees Charley huddled over something. He soon realizes that this 'something' is Ella. Charley backs away and Ella' arms and ankles are bound. His eyes widen and then give Charley a glare that could kill.

"ERIK!" Ella screams, tears running down her face.

"Well, hello there!" Charley says evilly.

"Let her go, you demon." Erik says, the fire burning bright in his eyes, just waiting to grow. Charley laughs evilly and it echoes through the foyer.

"Now you know I can't do that." A wicked smile plastered on his face.

"Yes…you CAN!"

Erik lunges at Charley, knocking him into the wall. Charley grunts and pushes Erik right back. He stumbles onto the couch. Charley runs over and pulls out a gun as Erik gets up off of the floor. He points it straight at his face. Erik sees this and instantly becomes scared. He stops dead in his tracks and raises his hands slowly. Charley giggles.

"You are so weak. Aren't you?" His smile fades and is now a glare at Erik.

"Now, go sit over there, next to Ella. I will do the honors of tying you up."

Erik puts his hands down and walks over to Ella. He sits down next to her. Ella looks at him with red and puffy eyes. Charley puts his gun back in the holster and walks over to Erik with the rope. Erik puts out his hands and Charley gladly ties them. He moves down to his ankles and ties them too. He smiles at Erik before getting up and going into the other room.

"Are you alright, Eleanore?" Erik whispers, making sure Charley doesn't hear him.

"I am fine, Erik." Ella whispers back with a half-smile.

"I am sorry I gave up so easily. He would've shot me. At least I still have a shot of getting out of here when I'm tied up. If I were dead, you would dies eventually too. I couldn't let that happen. I promised myself I would get you out of here, even if that means I die in the process."

"Oh, Erik. That is so incredibly sweet of you. I promise, when we get out of here, I will repay you in some way. Any way." She says with tears of joy.

He smiles back. "Did he hurt you?"

Ella shudders, thinking of just hours ago. That moment was so horrid and go revolting she doesn't want to bring it up. But she must for Erik, and she knows that.

"He raped me."

"W-what…?"

"He said he loved me and he was touching me all over. Kissing my neck. I said I refused to love him. But he said he would make me. I asked him how. And then he handed me ten thousand francs, and then ripped my clothes off. And…well…you know what happened after that. So now, I am just his bitch." She holds back her sobs so Charley wouldn't hear, but she clearly has trouble. Her face glistens from the tears and Erik wishes her could hug her.

"I am so sorry, Eleanore. I promise, I will do whatever I can to kill this man and make sure he suffers. I won't let you live with that." Erik says reassuringly.

"But Erik…what if I'm pregnant with his baby?"

_Oh dear God. _Erik thinks. "I never thought of that. I guess, if you are, we will just have to stop it."

"I could never do that to such a creature, I don't know what I would do." She sighs as another tear rolls down her face.

Erik tries to help her. "Well we could"-

"You know, I am tired of hearing you talk." Charley cuts off their conversation when he walks into the room. He then pulls his gun out once more, making Erik and Ella creep closer to each other. "I think it's time to go."

Erik sighs and looks at Ella, wanting to tell her something that he has been meaning to for a long time now. Charley points the gun at Erik first. "I think you should go first because you are an intruder."

Erik looks over at Ella. "Eleanore-"

"Shut up!" Charley shouts when he speaks.

"Eleanore, I-"

"SHUT UP!"

Even though Ella doesn't look back at him, he needs to finish saying this. He hears the click of Charley loading the gun. He knows it is now or never. Charley points the gun back at him. Erik closes his eyes and says something to Ella.

"Eleanore," Charley's finger goes on the trigger.

"I love you."

Before Ella can react, she closes her eyes when she hears a gunshot go off.


	10. Life and Death

_**I hope you guys liked that two chapters yesterday. There is so much more drama now that Erik confessed his love to Ella. But will Ella love him back? We will just have to see. So please read, review, follow, favorite, and enjoy. Thanks. **_

_**~Lauren **_

**Chapter 10**

**Life and Death**

Ella's eyes are still shut tight moments after she hears the gunshot. She doesn't want to look at Erik's dead body. She couldn't bear. A tear streams down her face. But she is shocked when she hears a familiar voice.

"Eleanore!"

Her eyes shoot open and she looks to her left and sees Erik alive and well.

"Oh my God, Erik! You're alive! Wait, then what was the gunshot?"

Erik motions to the floor in front of them and they sees Charley laying there and a very surprised Meg holding out a gun.

"Meg! Oh my God! How did you know where we were?!" Ella asks in shock. Meg giggles, puts down the gun, and rushes over to them and starts working at the ropes on their ankles.

"Well, after Erik came to my mother and said you were missing, I became very worried. So I went and followed Erik and Cesar down here. I was hiding on the side of the house. I thought Erik had everything under control, until Charley pulled out the gun and was about to kill him. So I ran in here, pulled out my gun, and shot."

"That is magnificent. Thank you, Meg." Erik says to her when she finishes untying his hands. Meg then moves over to Ella and starts untying her ankles. Erik scoots over too and unties Ella's hands. When they finish, they all get up and walk slowly over to Charley.

"Are you sure he's dead?" Ella asks, frightened.

Meg nods. "I am pretty sure. I shot him in the back. And if he wasn't, he would be up and attacking us by now." Ella and Erik nod, understanding.

Erik sighs and looks at the girls. "We should get out of here. Let's just leave this bastard to die." The girls nod in disgust at Charley. They walk out of the house and Erik jumps on Cesar. Meg grabs her horse from the side of the house and jumps on her back. Ella decides to ride with Erik. So she jumps on his horse too and holds onto his waist. Erik turns around and smiles at her, she smiles back.

"You should lead the way. You know how to get back better than I do." Meg says with a smirk.

Erik nods and they start riding back to the Populaire.

XxXxXx

When they put their horses back and head into the opera house, Meg goes back into her mother's office and Erik and Ella go back into Ella's room. Ella sits down on the chair in front of her mirror and Erik sits on her bed, facing her.

"You love me?" Ella asks with a slight smile.

"I do. So much." Erik says.

"What made you love me?"

"You are caring, sweet, talented, and so beautiful."

Ella blushes.

"I never thought I would find love again, but then I met you." She blushes. "When I first met you, Eleanore, I felt a great connection. I didn't know what the feeling was at first, but then as we met more and more each day, I realized it was love."

Ella starts to tear up, feeling a great rush of joy.

"Oh, Erik…I…I…" She jumps out of her chair and rushes over to him. She puts her hands on the side of his face, and kisses his passionately. He kisses her back, embracing this moment. When they release they smile at each other.

"You love me back?" Erik asks, shocked.

She smiles ta him and kisses him once more. He grabs onto her back, and embraces her into his lips. When she pulls away she says with a giggle, "Does that answer your question?" He smiles at her with tears in his eyes. "Oh, Ella." He mutters before bringing her in for another kiss. She loves the feel of his warm and juicy lips on hers. He just loves having a women by his side that loves him.

Ella suddenly pulls away and stares at him with a furrowed brow. Erik becomes concerned and furrows his brow too. "You called me Ella." She smiles. He smiles too. "Oh, yeah. I guess I did." They both laugh and kiss lightly once more.

Ella gets up from in front of him and sits next to him on the bed. Erik then comes up with an idea.

"Can I take you out to dinner tonight? I will pick you up in about an hour?"

Ella nods with a big smile. He gets up off of the bed and kisses her lightly on the lips before leaving through the mirror.

An hour later, Erik comes through the mirror looking better than ever. His jaw drops when he sees Ella in her gorgeous purple dress.

"Oh my-Ella, you look…uh…um…" he stumbles over his words. He is obviously nervous and doesn't know what to say. He has never been in the presence of a woman like this. He blushes and Ella giggles to herself. She knows what he is trying to say so she says, "Thank you. You look wonderful." Erik giggles and walks over to her and kisses her.

"Shall we go?" he asks her. She nods with a bright smile. He takes her hand, actually without his glove, and leads her out to the front of the opera house. He lets her into the carriage. She nods at him in thanks. Erik tells the coachman where to go and they are off.

When they arrive at the restaurant, Erik opens the door, letting Ella go first. She thanks his and Erik follows her in. He tells the hostess that he has a reservation, and they get led to their table.

They sit down and Ella looks at her menu. But Erik keeps staring at her. Ella doesn't feel uncomfortable, she feels loved. She peers up at him and smiles.

"You are so beautiful."

Ella blushes. "Oh, stop it. I am not _that _beautiful, Erik"

"You are. And if people don't think that, they are just all idiotic assholes."

"Erik! Language! We are in public." Ella shouts with a smile and another blush.

"Sorry."

Ella giggles once more.

They eventually order their food and have a wonderful dinner talking about their lives at the opera house and a bunch of other random things. Then Erik says something that excites Ella.

"Hey, I have a present for you."

Ella's eyes brighten and she claps her hands together. Erik pulls a tiny box out of his pocket and holds it in his hand. Ella gasps. "Erik…" is all she can say. He smiles. He gets up out of chair and comes next to her chair.

He gets down on one knee and looks up at her with loving eyes.

"Ella, Eleanore, Ellie, whatever name you go by, I love you so much. I have never thought I would love again. But then you came into my life and my heart was dug up from its grave. I just want to spend every moment of my life with you for now and forever. Please make me the happiest Phantom in the world, and marry me."

Ella has had her hands up to her mouth throughout his whole speech. She starts to cry and she nods vigorously. He gets up off of his knee. She grabs him and kisses him, making his cheeks wet with her tears. When they release, he takes her hand and slips the ring on her finger. All the other people around them in the restaurant cheer and clap for them. Erik nods to them and Ella giggles.

Ella looks down at her hand and cries even more at the beauty of her ring. It is a gorgeous sliver band with an orange diamond in the middle. "How did you know my favorite color was orange?" she asks with a smirk. Erik shrugs. "I can just guess with some people." She giggles and leans across the table to kiss her fiancé.

This was truly the best day of her life.

She will have an amazing life with Erik, and she just knows it.


	11. Life Plans

_**Yes, I am doing another chapter today! I just have so much I want you guys to read. But I am sad to say that this story is almost over. This story will most likely **_**not **_**be longer than 15 chapters, but I am planning on writing another story with Ella…But you also have to read "First" for you to understand it. So yeah that's a little hint. Please read, review, follow, favorite, and enjoy. Thanks. **_

_**~Lauren **_

_**Oh! And **__**PLEASE ANSWER THE POLL IN MY BIO**__**! I AM BEGGING YOU! **_

**Chapter 11**

**Life Plans**

"When do you want to get married?" Ella asks randomly to Erik as she listens to him play the organ. He stops his playing with a screech and gets scared by the idea of marriage.

"Uh…I don't know. I never really thought about it." He says with a bead of sweat running down his nose.

"Erik, you seem scared."

Erik stifles a laugh. "That's because I am."

She walks over to him and puts her hand on his shoulder. "Why?"

He shrugs. "I guess it's because I thought marriage was never going to happen, and now that it is…I am scared it won't turn out well. Like we would divorce. Discover I really am a monster."

"Don't think like that!" she kneels down to meet him eye to eye. "I love you. That is never going to change. Whether you want it to or not." She says playfully.

He giggles and brings her in for a kiss. "I love you." He says when they release.

"Ah, but I love you more."

"I highly doubt that." Erik smirks as he gets up off the bench.

"Oh really?" Ella whips up off the ground.

"Yes, I do, my dear." Erik chuckles.

"Oh, just kiss me." Ella smirks.

He smiles and brings her up for a kiss. He puts his hands on her hips and she puts hers on his. They release and they smile at each other.

"Okay, we need to get back to figuring out when we are getting married."

Erik groans dramatically. "Okay, fine."

"Would you like to get married soon?"

"Not that soon. Maybe a few months."

"Okay, so it's November. Want to get married in December or January?"

"Hmm…let get married January first."

Ella gasps. "Oh, Erik! That's so romantic! A marriage on New Year's!" She gasps again, causing Erik to laugh. "We should have our kiss at the stroke of midnight."

Erik nods. "I like that idea!"

Ella giggles and claps her hands. She leans in and kisses him lightly once again. Then Ella walks over to the kitchen table and sits down. This is a signal that she wants tea, so Erik nods and goes into the kitchen. He sets down a kettle and come back into the room to wait for it to whistle. He sits across from her and smiles at her.

"Oh, Erik. There is also another question I have been meaning to ask you…"

"Anything, love."

"Please don't have a heart attack."

He laughs. "I'll try. Depends on what it is."

"Do you want to have children?"

Erik bulges his eyes and goes all white. His skin almost perfectly matches the color of his mask. He keeps staring. Ella is worried.

"Erik, breathe." Ella reassures him.

He sucks in air and his face regains some color. "Ella, I…"

"You don't have to answer right now, dear."

"Ella, I have always been scared to…um…"

"I know what you mean. And it can be scary to think about. I am a virgin myself. I am just wondering for the future. Just so I know what's coming."

"You don't have to do that. The future is exciting because you don't know what's coming."

"That's true." Ella smiles.

"I don't know if I can answer that right now."

She nods. "That's okay. I wasn't expecting you too."

"Thank you, Ella."

Erik stares off and then jumps when the tea kettle whistles. He jumps up from his seat and walks into the kitchen. She comes back a minute later with a tray with the tea kettle, cups, and a few pastries. She nods at him in thanks when he pours her a cup and pushes it towards her. He pours himself a cup and just stares into it. Ella furrows her brow and looks at him.

"Erik are you alright?"

"Oh, I am fine."

"You don't seem fine. What's wrong?"

"I am just scared."

"Scared about what?"

"I don't know! I'll lose my temper and hurt you or the children. If we even have any. And that's another thing, I am scared that if I saw I don't want children, you will leave me and find some other man. I am also worried about you seeing me without my mask. It is horrible, Ella. Absolutely horrible. I am just scared that...you won't love me anymore."

"Oh my God, Erik! That will never happen. I know that if you lose your temper and hurt me, that you will feel bad so I wouldn't be mad. And if you didn't want to have children, we can just adopt if you would like to instead of going through the whole process. Erik, I have seen you without your mask. It was yesterday when Charley beat you up. You had your mask off then. There was nothing wrong with it. That's actually one of the things I love most about you. You are different."

"Oh. Thank you, Ella."

"You still seem upset."

"I am just thinking about the past. I am tired too."

"Would you like to sleep? I don't have to stay."

"Well, I want to sleep, but I want you to stay."

"I can take a nap with you. I am tired myself."

Erik smiles at her. "I would like that."

They get up, leaving their tea. He leads her to the bedroom and they crawl into the bed right next to each other. He puts his arm around her and embraces her.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

He giggles before drifting off to sleep with Ella in his arms.


	12. The Future Lies Ahead

_**To be honest, this may be the last chapter. I am not sure though. If I can add more to the story, I will. But right now, I don't have any ideas. I do have that new story in mind involving Ella and Erik. But I need your help with the end of that story. And the way to do that is so **__**ANSWER THE POLL IN MY BIO! **__**So please read, review, follow, favorite, and review. Thanks. **_

_**~Lauren **_

**Chapter 12**

**The Future Lies Ahead**

"Breathe, Ella! It is going to be wonderful!" Meg says, trying to get Ella to calm down.

"I have never thought about marriage before. I am so scared, Meg." She gasps. "What if Erik doesn't like my dress?!"

"Ella! You look amazing! Absolutely stunning. And I don't think Erik would care about what you are wearing. You could be naked and it wouldn't matter, as long as he is marrying you."

Ella giggles at this remark. "Thank you, Meg." She peers down at her dress and bouquet and agree that it is all stunning. _I definitely picked the right dress. _Ella smiles to herself while Meg looks at the clock.

"Oh! It's time! Are you ready?"

Ella sighs. "As ready as I'll ever be." Meg smiles at her and opens the door for her. Ella steps out cautiously, waiting for the moment to come.

She finally gets to the doors that lead to the alter. She exhales and pushes them open. Since her parents are dead, she walks down the aisle alone. But that doesn't matter to her. She just sees all the people that are there, which is not many. And then she sees Erik. _He looks so handsome. _She thinks in delight, and she smiles at him. He smiles back and his eyes begin to water.

She gets to the alter and grabs Erik's hands. A tear rolls down Erik's face and Ella wipes it with her thumb. Erik blushes at his vulnerability. They smile at each other once more and face the priest. He says the words that everyone hears at weddings and then gets to the vows.

"Do you, Eleanore, take Erik to be your lawfully wedded husband in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do." Ella beams.

"Do you, Erik, take Eleanore, to be your lawfully wedded wife in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do." Another tear rolls down his face as he says the words.

The couple peers at the clock and sees that there is only a few seconds before midnight.

"You may kiss the bride." And the clock strikes midnight. They smile and Erik leans down and presses his lips to hers. Her holds onto her back and he holds onto his neck. They kiss many time before releasing and facing all their friends. Meg and her mother are standing and clapping. Meg is cheering and her mother is obviously embarrassed. This make the couple giggle.

They start back up the aisle to their reception. All the guests follow into the other room. They all see the glorious cake that truly reflects their relationship. Ella and Erik stand right next to each other as Erik cuts the first piece of cake. He hands it to Ella and he cuts himself a piece. They do the really cliché thing and feed to each other. But everyone still awes at the adorable moment.

Everyone gets a piece of cake and they all have a wonderful at Ella and Erik's wedding.

They could not be happier.

XxXxXx

Erik plays his organ as Ella sips her tea and listens to him. When he finishes the song, Erik looks at Ella and smiles.

"Erik?"

"Yes, love."

"We need a house! We can't live in your lair under the opera house now that we are married."

He nods. "I have been thinking about that."

"Do you have any idea of where you would like to live?"

"Well, do you want to stay in Paris?"

"I don't know. I love it here, but I want to see new places."

"I understand. Well…I have one idea."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Well, I don't know if you would want to move that far."

"Just tell me, please, dear."

"I thought we could move to America. Coney Island to be specific."

"Oh, wow."

"You don't have to, Ella! I am not making you. Just an idea."

"No! I would love to move to America! But, why Coney Island?"

"Well," Erik is unsure if he wants to tell the story or not, but he knows he must for his wife. "I lived there many years ago. I had a freak show there, 'Phantasma'. I miss it very much and I would love to open it back up. It brought in many people and it would get us money."

"Oh, Erik! That's a wonderful idea! I would love that."

"Okay, great. When would you want to leave?"

"I think we should leave soon."

"How about next month? The season is over next month."

Ella smiles and runs over to him. "That's a wonderful idea! I love you so much." She kisses him.

"I love you too."

"We are going to have a great future, Erik. I know it."

_**This is the last chapter folks, but like I said, I have a new story with these characters. So **__**PLEASE ANSWER THE POLL IN MY BIO. **__**It will help with the new story. Thanks and I hoped you liked this story. **_


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